February 28, 2026

Israel Claims Ali Khamenei Died in Attack on His Residence

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died as a result of an attack on his residence. This is reported by Reuters, The Times of Israel, Axios, and Channel 12, citing a high-ranking Israeli official. According to him, Khamenei's body has already been found. Other details are not provided in the notes. Photo: Abedin Tahenkenareh / EPA. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran's supreme leader had very likely died as a result of an attack on his residence. "The signs that Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei 'no longer exists' are intensifying," he said. Israeli journalist Amit Segal claimed that 30 aerial bombs were dropped on Khamenei's residence. At the same time, a representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive. Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen claimed that Iran's supreme leader is in the operational headquarters directing combat operations. As previously reported by Iranian TV channel Al-Alam, Khamenei was going to make a public statement after the start of combat operations. However, the publication Al Hadath, citing Iranian Minister of Culture Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, reported that Khamenei would not do so. In addition, Khamenei's daughter-in-law and son-in-law died as a result of the strikes, writes the Jamaran agency, citing a message from the Hamshahri Institute, associated with the Tehran city council. Journalists note that this publication was deleted some time later.